Garcia remembered for business sense, kindness

Fernando Garcia, former president of Fall River Ford and a prominent SouthCoast businessman and philanthropist, has died.

Simon Rios

Fernando Garcia, former president of Fall River Ford and a prominent SouthCoast businessman and philanthropist, has died.

Former New Bedford Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr., a close friend, said he was with Garcia when he died.

"Right to the end he was appreciative, thanking people," said Kalisz, who said Garcia, 67 and a New Bedford resident, succumbed to cancer at St. Luke's Hospital May 20 after a 12-year fight.

"(He) was conscious of what was happening, which gave us all the satisfaction that he knew what was happening, and he knew it was his time," he said.

"It was certainly a lesson in human behavior."

Born in the Azores, Garcia came to New Bedford at age 10, according to Kalisz. A 1969 UMass Dartmouth business graduate, he joined Fall River Ford in 1998 and became its face and voice as "Your Friend in the Business."

In October 2012 he was named chairman of the Bristol Community College board of trustees.

Rob Mellion, president of the Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry — where Garcia served for years on the board of directors and executive committee — said heading the BCC board was one of Garcia's proudest achievements.

"He loved BCC," Mellion said. "He would tell you that he bled BCC. Fernando was a self-made man. ... This is a guy who started from the bottom of the industry and worked his way up to be the owner of one of the biggest auto dealerships in the region," Mellion said.

BCC President John J. Sbrega said Garcia's networks in both the business world and the Portuguese-speaking community were important to the college since he joined the board in 2009.

"His leadership has been really instrumental at BCC," Sbrega said. "He's terrific with the Portuguese-speaking population — not just the Azoreans but Cabo Verde as well as ... Portugal and Brazil."

Sbrega said Garcia helped boost ties with UMass Dartmouth, ushering in connections with the Charlton College of Business as well as the law school.

"(Fernando was) just a wonderful human being that I was privileged to meet," he said.

Former City Solicitor George Leontire worked with Garcia when Garcia served on the New Bedford Economic Development Council during the Kalisz administration.

"One of the things that he did was help raise the profile of Portugese-American businessmen, and he clearly was able to bring that community together on a number of issues," Leontire said.

"His biggest legacy is leadership by example, and I think a lot of people will emulate the way he viewed working in the community."

Jay Vasconcellos, business manager at the former Fall River Ford — which Garcia sold in 2012 and which is now called First Ford — said when Garcia bought the dealership they were selling 50 to 60 cars a month. Under Garcia, that number rose to 240 in the mid-2000s.

"He definitely took leadership ... and people respected him as an owner and for what he had to do with the business," he said.

Under Garcia, Ford was active with numerous charities, even donating cars, he said.

Garcia is survived by mother Cleotilde, wife Karen, a brother, a son and three grandchildren.